A/N: When I woke up one morning and looked on my mobile phone to see if any reviews had cropped up for my stories, I was not expecting for it to have shot up from 13 to 19 overnight.

Kaileychicago: Thank you so much for reviewing every chapter. I wasn't expecting it, but it made me happy to know that you took the time and consideration to comment on each chappy.

Poisonfish: I'm brilliant? Why thank you! I'm glad you liked the sticky note moment. It was very amusing for me to write. I wanted to at least dispel the tension, if only for a moment. Here's your awaited update!

Thank you to everyone else who has clicked on this and read it! Your positive comments make my day!

Rukia didn't know why, but she felt no inclination whatsoever to move. At that moment, she felt that all was right with the world where she was. Yet at the same time, their bodies couldn't have been more taut if they'd tried, and their meditation wavered only seconds on the natural disaster taking place outside before it eventually drifted to the hurried beating of their hearts and the way in which they were meshed together. Her nose was nuzzled into the crook of his neck, and at this proximity now, she could decipher the distinctive musky scent she'd never known he had until they'd been this close. Her legs soon fatigued in the stiff position they were in on either side of his hips, and eventually she moved them closer together to somewhat relieve the strain. The damp skin of her belly brushed up against his own where her towel had come loose and where his shirt had ridden up when they'd landed on the floor after their tumble down the stairs.

An involuntary rush of pride rocked her as she shifted, feeling the defined contours of his body moving against the curves of hers. Rukia could tell that Ichigo had grown physically in comparison to the immature brat he'd been when they had first encountered one another. He was so different, it almost startled her. She tried to deny the physical attraction amongst everything else, despite the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about how good he smelled, and she was actually debating whether or not she should lick him just to see if he tasted as good as he-No, Rukia, a Kuchiki does not think like that! she chastised herself. Unbeknownst to her inner turmoil, Ichigo deliberated whether he should let go of her or not. He still had his arms folded around her waist, pressing her body against his own-not that he was noticing this. If he let his awareness drift for just a moment, he observed that her hair smelled of that new aloe vera cucumber-scented shampoo Yuzu had bought-his shampoo. The tension was broken by the following words:

"You've been using my shampoo again, haven't you?" he inquired. "What have I told you about that?"

"Dammit, Ichigo! That was supposed to be mine, and you know it!" she cried, grabbing her towel and bringing it up to cover herself as she sat up.

"As I recall, Yuzu said it was mine!"

"It has my name on it!" she retorted.

"Like hell it does!" he argued. "And even if it did, that doesn't make it yours!"

"It's not like you need it! Your hair's so insanely bright, it probably repels grime!" she snapped.

"Don't talk about it like that! And it does get dirty!"

"Ichigo, you could be in the Guinness Book of World Records, because I've never known your hair to get greasy, frizzy, dry, or otherwise!" she exclaimed. "When you were in Soul Society for my rescue, you weren't even within distance of a bathroom, and yet despite the fact that you went through hell and back, your hair comes out perfect! Untouched!"

"Well, when you put it like that..." There was a contemplative silence. "How 'bout we just share it?" And thus a truce was born.

Rukia draped her arm around Ichigo's neck as he hoisted her up in his arms and carried her to the living room. Right at that moment, they decided to put the former incident out of their minds. Her foot was bleeding and cramping up, and, frankly, her mind was too frazzled for her to think lucidly about how she felt for her constant companion.

She sighed, her body going lax as she was set down on the couch in the living room. Rukia repositioned herself after much fidgeted and worked the toes on her right foot as Ichigo examined her injury.

"Well, you won't need stitches, but...I'll bandage it up pretty good and treat it with a regional anesthetic just to make sure." Telling her to wait just a moment, he departed the room.

"Don't you have any clothes?" Ichigo called from the next room.

"No, not until Yuzu does the laundry," she replied.

Ichigo grumbled something incoherently, taking the steps upstairs two at a time. He strode into his room with ease, looking around until he laid eyes on his closet.

He slid the door open and slanted forward on the balls of his feet in order to reach the box on the top shelf, but as he edged it out, something was dislodged from the top of it and hit him on the head. Ichigo grunted, pirouetting about while trying to balance the container of clothes he kept stowed away. He turned, tucking the box under his arm and massaging the sore area just at the back of his skull. His brow creased in bewilderment as he circled around, rubbing his head absent-mindedly until his eyes settled on the box. It was a thin, rectangular box of a peach color with a lavender bow on the front. Ichigo hadn't noticed it before. The plastic container he had now had been retrieved from the storage room; he must have gotten the smaller box mixed up with it by mistake. It was funny, though, he couldn't recall ever seeing this before.

Crouching down and setting his burden aside, Ichigo fingered the lavender bow, automatically catching sight of the miniature card that had been stapled to it. Cautiously using his thumb and index finger, he parted either ends of the card and read what was inside.

To Ichigo, from Rukia.

p.s. Don't complain about what I got you.

He caught his breath. Could it be...? Feeling a sudden surge of confidence, he quickly untied the bow and discarded it. He deduced that his justification for opening the gift was because Christmas had already passed and it was his after all-not that he possibly had a hope in hell that this was it. Rukia hadn't even gotten him anything, but at the same time she hadn't necessarily denied getting him nothing. Ichigo just decided to throw all care to the wind and see what the hell was in the box. Gently, he lifted the lid and peered inside. Ichigo kept a slight distance, as if he was afraid the thing might blow up or something. He never really knew with Rukia. He figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

But he was wrong about his thoughts of a bomb or something Chappy related. Inside of the box was the most smooth-looking, blackest fabric he'd ever laid eyes on.

Ichigo twitched when he saw the dog tags. I should have known, he thought inwardly. Of course she'd do something like that to tick him off. Still, it was the thought that counts.

Yet...Why the hell did she wait all this time...? No, Rukia wouldn't be so cruel. And she hadn't put the box in his closet; he had. He had gone down to the storage closet a few days before he and his family were due for vacation to get the extra box of clothes he kept stowed away for winter. And I picked up the box by accident...which also happened to be the present Rukia got me for Christmas...

"Aw, shit," Ichigo groaned. No wonder she had been avoiding him: she hadn't been able to find his gift because he'd taken it. No one would have thought to ask him, since he wasn't supposed to know about it. "Dammit, I'm such an idiot." He fingered the fabric of the kimono, amazed by how soft it was. "Why didn't she just say that she'd lost it?"

That was what he couldn't understand. He knew Rukia well; she had an enormous amount of pride for her abilities. She had made the kimono and had worked hard for it, so it was only natural that she feel responsible enough to look for it on her own without help.

"But to make me that she'd gotten me nothing," he growled. "That stupid little midget..." And what about the gift he'd gotten her. He knew she hadn't lost that. There was no way in hell simply because it was impossible to lose the thing he'd gotten her. And Ichigo found it highly unlikely that something hadn't happened to it because Rukia couldn't have hid it; it had been nearly a month and he hadn't so much as gotten a glimpse of it-not in her room or anywhere else. It sort of pissed him off because he'd gone through so much for something she would practically have a stroke for, and the end results were "It's okay". What was even stranger: all those presents for one midget on Christmas and he hadn't seen any excessive changes to her room. Ichigo knew she hadn't used Karin and Yuzu's closet, and he knew she wouldn't have just dragged them back to Soul Society. Knowing her, Rukia would have shown such gifts off to her friends-or rubbed it in Renji's face. So what had happened that had changed all that?

What happened, Rukia?

A/N: So we see now that things are progressing between Ichigo and Rukia. I would also like to remark that, yes; I will eventually reveal what Ichigo got Rukia for Christmas.